Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday complimented the State Government and in particular, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, for the efforts made to tap renewable energy.
Dr. Abdullah had a round of discussion with the Chief Minister, Minister for Energy K.S. Eshwarappa and senior officials at the Secretariat here. He promised support to Karnataka in exploiting new and renewable energy sources. He said that the State had done well in tapping hydel, biomass and wind energy.
He told presspersons that the Copenhagen Conference and the pact on climate change is “an eye-opener for both the developed and the developing countries” to sustain growth.
Dr. Abdullah said his Ministry would take steps to provide for solar lighting at select heritage sites in Karnataka, including Hampi, Mysore Palace, Belur-Halebidu, the Vidhana Soudha and the Raj Bhavan.
He said that now 1,300 MW of solar energy is being generated in the country and this would be increased to 11,000 MW in another three years. The Union Minister lauded the efforts of the State Government in making it mandatory for all new buildings to be equipped with solar heaters while approving building plan. “It is a unique step taken by any of the State Governments in the country,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Yeddyurappa presented a graphic picture of the power scenario in the State and appealed to the Union Government to extend more financial assistance to bridge the widening gap between demand and supply. The Chief Minister said the State Government has taken several initiatives to facilitate the use and promotion of renewable energy sources.
He said the State has a potential of over 23,624 MW of renewable energy sources and had tapped about 2,596 MW of power which constitutes about 11 per cent of the total power generation, including hydel and thermal sources. “The State Government is finalising a renewable energy policy to facilitate further production,” he said and appealed to the Union Minister to grant speedy clearances (Forest and Environment clearances) for the power project proposals submitted by the State Government.
